S.O.S. [SZA Album]

SZA’s ‘Kill Bill’ Video Almost Featured A Special Cameo From Uma Thurman, According To Vivica A. Fox

by
sza global 2022
Getty Image

SZA might’ve punked out from submitting guest verses in the past. But she isn’t shy about securing memorable star-studded cameos on her projects. The “Low” singer’s past videos have featured guest appearances by Drew Barrymore and more. However, there was one actress that she couldn’t snag. According to Vivica A. Fox, her on-screen spotlight in SZA’s “Kill Bill” video might have been intended for Uma Thurman.

During an interview with AV Club, Fox recounted working with the songwriter. “When I got it, I was surprised, to be honest with you. Cause they called…[It] took them five days to finally decide that they were going to hire me, ’cause I think they wanted Uma Thurman,” said Fox.

The actress added, “But when you think about it, it’s a little bit more fitting for SZA and Vivica to be together because we’re both African American women, and when it came out, people just ran with it. They were like, ‘They’re going to make Kill Bill 3, finally.’ Because people have been waiting for Kill Bill 3 for such a long time and see my daughter get revenge on Uma.”

Fox holds no bad blood over the matter, saying that SZA’s delayed response due to her supposedly trying to secure Thurman was “Cool,” she remarked, saying, “I mean, it is her franchise, as well as mine.”

Contrarily, when outlining the inspiration behind the video, SZA made it clear that Fox’s appearance was always the goal. “I love Vivica A. Fox’s character. I love Lucy Liu’s character. I even love Bill because he’s super complex. I feel like he doesn’t understand why he did what he did. He’s void of emotion, but he loved The Bride so much that he couldn’t stand her to be with anyone else,” SZA told EW.

SZA Gets ‘Pissed Off’ About Something When She Listens To Her Albums

by
sza tour
Getty Image

So far, SZA has a couple of albums to her name, 2017’s Ctrl and 2022’s SOS, and they’re both beloved. She has some EPs under her belt, too, but when SZA goes back and listens to her old work, there’s one element of them that doesn’t sit well with her.

On Twitter recently, SZA wrote, “I still listen to my albums and get pissed off at the mixes [face-palm emoji].”

A few minutes later, she also shared her favorite songs from SOS, tweeting, “snooze ,love language, kill bill ,nobody gets me ,ex pack ,blind ,good days ,gone girl, I hate u, F2F,low , seek and destroy , ghost , Sos , used. Personal picks.” She then added in subsequent tweets, “FORGIVELESS too,” and, “Open arms too.”

Meanwhile, “Kill Bill” recently reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time, making it SZA’s first No. 1 single. She took her time to reflect, eventually tweeting, “took me over a week to process cause I dreamt of this my entire career. didn’t feel real lol, still doesn’t. but I wanna say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Every person, every fan base every ear that listened and pushed for me. Can’t believe we have a number 1 record.”

SZA’s ‘SOS’ North American Tour Reportedly Grossed A Whopping $34 Million In Revenue Across Its 10-Week Run

by
SZA SOS North American Tour Rogers Arena 2023
Getty Image

SZA might want to put a hit out on her ex, but there’s one relationship the singer still cherishes: the one with her fans. After five long years since the release of her debut studio album, the singer poured her all into her follow-up, SOS. The “Ghost In The Machine” singer’s creative efforts paid off handsomely both on the charts and via ticket sales.

According to Billboard, SZA’s 18-date SOS North American tour grossed $34.5 million, which equated to approximately 238,000 tickets sold. The tour — which featured a special guest, “3 Boys” singer Omar Apollo — kicked off in February and ran until late March. The tour also featured surprise appearances by Cardi B, Summer Walker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lizzo.

The report outlines the tour brought out in around $1.9 million and 12,812 tickets each show. As for the specifics on each arena, Billboard revealed that despite having the second-highest ticket price at $174.69, the SoCal arena sold 8,700 tickets. For contrast, SZA’s shows in New York at Madison Square Garden and Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum were the two highest grossing as well as highest attended.

The tour’s two shows at MSG on March 4 and 5 grossed $4.7 million, with 27,000 tickets sold. Meanwhile, SZA’s March 22 and 23 shows at the Kia Forum, racked in $3.9 million for 25,000 tickets sold.

As for the the other high-attendance shows, Atlanta came in at about 11,069 tickets sold and Toronto came in around 14,383 tickets sold.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Spends Tenth Week At No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart

by
sza
Getty Image

Lizzo declared 2023 would be the year of SZA, and it looks like she may be right. Not only did news break today (February 26), that the singer’s sophomore album, SOS, earned nearly 3 billion streams on Spotify, but it also is celebrating its tenth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

When the album first reached the top of the charts, the recording artist took to Twitter to post about what the professional accomplishment meant to her. “I appreciate every milestone and accolade but this? As a writer means so f*cking much to me. I aspire to be a better writer every day. Thank you. Wow,” she wrote.

Last month, SZA joined Adele and Taylor Swift as the only women artists to have an album spend at least seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this century.

Meanwhile, SZA is currently on her album’s supporting tour with featured guest Grammy Award-nominated singer Omar Apollo. View the remaining tour dates below.

02/27 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
02/28 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
03/02 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
03/04 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
03/07 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
03/09 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
03/10 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
03/13 — San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
03/14 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
03/16 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
03/18 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
03/19 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
03/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Kia Forum

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Crossed A Major Streaming Milestone On Spotify, Marking The Second Time For Her

by
SZA 2021
Getty Image

It hasn’t even been three months since SZA released SOS, and it’s already proven itself a commercial success.

The TDE singer’s long-awaited and critically acclaimed sophomore album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart and has spent at least nine weeks atop the charts following its December release. The album was also certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within weeks of its release. Additionally, the project helped the “Snooze” singer break the record for the US’s largest streaming week for an R&B album.

Recently, the singer’s album reached a major milestone on streaming giant Spotify with nearly 3 billion streams. This would be her second album to do so following her 2017 debut project, Ctrl.

“‘SOS’ by @SZA has reached 3 billion streams on Spotify. It’s her second album to achieve this,” Pop Crave reports.

https:/ twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1629681707203829760?s=20

To help promote the album (not that it’s necessary at this point), the singer kicked off her tour earlier this month, kicking off at The Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Joining her on the road as support is Grammy-nominated singer Omar Apollo. The tour is expected to go on until the end of March, with its final show at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA Explained Why Knew She’d Be ‘Pissed Off’ By The Success Of ‘Kill Bill’

by
sza
Getty Image

SZA has been named Billboard‘s Woman Of The Year for 2023. In celebration, she did an interview with the publication on the heels of her sophomore SOS album dropping in December.

Not only did SZA reveal that there’s a deluxe version on the way, but she also opened up about exactly how she feels about her mega hit, “Kill Bill.” The song reached No. 2 on the charts, making it her biggest song to date.

“I knew it would be something that pissed me off,” she said. “It’s always a song that I don’t give a f*ck about that’s just super easy, not the sh*t that I put so much heart and energy into. ‘Kill Bill’ was super easy — one take, one night.”

The vengeful-but-fun video drew a significant amount of attention, too, as it pulled inspiration from the Tarantino flick and had a cameo from Vivica A. Fox.

Still, SZA also noted that she did want to change things up from any expectations that fans might have had after her 2017 debut, Ctrl, saying, “I know people wanted ‘Broken Clocks,’ ‘Love Galore,’ and all that other sh*t again, but I departed from that by choice. Not because I couldn’t do that again; it was just because I wanted to grow. I wanted to do something completely different.”

It’s clear that the pivot has worked out in her favor immensely.

SZA Reaches Major Billboard Milestone, Surpassing Taylor Swift

by
SZA ACL Music festival 2022
Getty Image

SZA‘s latest album, S.O.S., has proved itself a commercial success. The album —her first project since 2017’s Ctrl — debuted at No.1 on Billboard 200 following its release last year. The 22-track album has stayed atop the charts for nearly eight weeks, a record once previously held by Taylor Swift‘s Folklore album. That means that S.O.S is the first album by a woman to spend eight weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200, which is pretty impressive.

“SOS’ by @SZA is the first album by a woman to spend eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 since @TaylorSwift13’s ‘folklore,” Pop Crave reports.

The “Shirt” singer recently announced she would take her S.O.S album on the road. The North American tour will kick off next week on February 21 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus — it’s also expected to make pitstops in major cities like Boston, New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Grammy-award nominee Omar Apollo is expected to be the tour’s opener.

Tickets for the upcoming tour went on sale on December 16.

You can check out the full tour schedule.

02/21/2023 — Columbus, OH @ The Jerome Schottenstein Center
02/22/2023 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
02/24/2023 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
02/25/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
02/27/2023 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
02/28/2023 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
03/02/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
03/04/2023 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
03/07/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
03/09/2023 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
03/10/2023 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
03/13/2023 — San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
03/14/2023 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
03/16/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
03/18/2023 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
03/19/2023 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
03/22/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Kia Forum

Some of the artists mentioned are part of Warner Music. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA Is No. 1 For A Sixth Week With ‘SOS,’ An R&B Feat That Hasn’t Happened In Nearly 20 Years

by
sza met gala 2022
Getty Image

On December 9, 2022, SZA released SOS, her latest album. Since it was chart-eligible, the LP has not known what it’s like to be anything but No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It debuted in the top spot of the chart, and that’s where it remains on the latest rank: Billboard announced today (January 23) that on the new chart dated January 28, SOS is No. 1 for a sixth total week.

That’s the most weeks at No. 1 on the chart among R&B and hip-hop albums since Drake’s Views logged 13 non-consecutive weeks in 2016. Narrow the scope to just R&B albums and SOS has the most chart-topping weeks since Usher’s Confessions was No. 1 for nine total weeks in 2004.

Furthermore, this is a notable moment for women artists. In the last decade plus, the only women with albums to spend at least six weeks at No. 1 are Adele, Taylor Swift, and now SZA. The last album by a woman besides those three to have at least six No. 1 weeks was Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream in 2009 and 2010. When it comes specifically to women in R&B, SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 since Mariah Carey’s Daydream, which had six non-consecutive weeks on top in late 1995 and early 1996.

SZA Has Had No. 1 Songs And Albums, But Her Debut Appearance Atop Another Chart ‘Means So F*cking Much’ To Her

by
SZA 2022 Met Gala
Getty Image

SZA had no idea what she was in for when she finally released SOS on December 9. Literally. “I never thought in a million years that people would like it,” she told Rolling Stone later in the month, around the time it became her first career No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Single “Kill Bill” has also topped the Billboard Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

Has anyone ever been so happy to have been so wrong?

This week marks the fifth consecutive week that SOS has reigned at No. 1. ” God is good. F*ck who disagree! Focus on yourself believe in yourself TRUST YOURSELF. GRATEFUL,” SZA wrote in an emoji-filled tweet. Previously, SOS hit “Kill Bill” gave SZA her first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Streaming Songs chart and second No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. But on Friday, January 13, SZA was relishing in hitting No. 1 on a different Billboard chart.

“I appreciate every milestone and accolade but THIS? As a writer [this] means so f*cking much to me. I aspire to be a better writer everyday thank you WOW,” she tweeted along with a screenshot of the news that she earned her first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart last week.

Per Billboard, the No. 1 spot was earned by SZA having 15 charting songs on the Hot 100 chart dated January 14. All of them are from the SOS track list, including “Kill Bill” (No. 3), “Shirt” (No. 23), “Nobody Gets Me” (No. 42), “Low” (No. 45), “Blind” (No. 51), and “Snooze” (No. 53).

SZA is scheduled to kick off her SOS Tour with Omar Apollo as the opener on February 21 in Columbus, Ohio. See all the dates here.

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Enjoys Fifth Consecutive Week At No. 1 On ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart, Joining Elite Company

by
sza spotify 2022
Getty Image

SZA’s SOS party will continue for at least one more week. Her highly anticipated sophomore album arrived in December, shortly after she served as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, and it became her first career No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 albums chart. SZA hasn’t relinquished the position since December 19.

Billboard revealed this week’s chart (dated January 21) with SOS sitting at No. 1 for a fifth consecutive week after moving 125,000 equivalent US album units in the week ending January 12. Nos. 2-6 on the chart remained the same from last week: Taylor Swift’s Midnights (No. 2), Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (No. 3), Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (No. 4), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (No. 5), and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (No. 6).

The publication put SZA’s fifth week in context, putting SZA in elite company.

“Only four albums have spent at least five weeks at No. 1 since the start of 2022: in order from most recent, SOS, Taylor Swift’s Midnights (five), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (13) and the Encanto soundtrack (nine),” Billboard‘s Keith Caulfield relayed. “SOS is the first album to spend its first five weeks at No. 1 since Adele’s 30 ruled the list for its first six weeks (its total run at No. 1) from Dec. 4, 2021-Jan. 8, 2022.”

On Friday, January 13, however, SZA felt particularly proud of a different chart accomplishment: hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Songwriters chart for the first time in her career because 15 SOS tracks are charting on the Hot 100.

“I appreciate every milestone and accolade but THIS?” SZA tweeted. “As a writer [this] means so f*cking much to me. I aspire to be a better writer everyday thank you WOW.”

Also last week, SZA shared her cinematic, gory video for “Kill Bill.” She’ll take it all on the road for her SOS Tour, beginning in February with Omar Apollo as the opener.